Europe | Germany | Ethics

Faulty rifle puts minister in crosshairs

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen is struggling to maintain her credibility as critics have blamed her for lobbying and cover-ups within the ministry over the army's faulty G36 rifles. A scandal has been brewing around the weapon for months after von der Leyen admitted in March that the rifle loses accuracy at high temperatures. In April von der Leyen announced that the G36 had “no future” in the Bundeswehr. In the meantime the media have been reporting that the Bundeswehr covered up information, based on internal reports that showed the weapons had shortcomings. It is said i

Europe | Germany | Ethics

Is Merkel working for Germany’s National Interests?

Source: OpEdNews.com

The claims that Merkel's government knew about German state intelligence spying on behalf of the Americans against the country's own industrial interests raise disturbing questions about the integrity of German government leaders. The apparent betrayal of German national interests by Chancellor Angela Merkel is not only evident over the recent industrial spying scandal on behalf of America. The slavish pursuit by Merkel of Washington's anti-Russian policy over Ukraine -- in contradistinction to her country's national interests -- also cogently suggests that the chancellor is serving a for

Europe | Germany | Business

Why women in Germany need Equal Pay Day in 2015

Source: DW

Despite legal support and public visibility, women are still paid less than their male colleagues in Germany - and at an alarming rate. On Equal Pay Day 2015, Germans took to the streets in protest. Germany doesn't seem to shy away from tackling women's issues - after all, there's a healthy amount of parental leave guaranteed by the government, and at an average rate of pay that's higher than most countries. There's also a new quota for women in boardrooms to tackle the drastic gender gap in top level management. And equal pay, regardless of gender, is enshrined in Germany's 1949 Basic Law.